The internet is hugely fun and educational but can become a source of concern to parents when children and teenagers spend many hours online. Mobile phone use can also be a source of family arguments: how do you decide when to get a phone for your child and how much phone time is too much? Some children will run into problems with social media or online bullying, and others become addicted to gaming or may accidentally view distressing imagery. As parents, it can be hard to know where to find reliable information, so we’ve selected a range of some of the best resources below.
If you’re a young person, scroll down to find information on staying safe, what to do if things go wrong and help with online bullying.
Tech advice for parents from BBC Bitesize
How technology has made parenting more difficult and how to navigate it
Five tips for talking about mobile phone use with your child
Online safety: where to find reliable advice and information
- How to manage your child’s online world without clashing
- Building your family’s digital strategy
- THINKUKNOW: Parental controls, ‘how to stay safe online’, ‘worried who your child might be talking to online?’ and more. Resources for children in different age groups, as well as parents and carers. Most children will be covering this extensively at school, but these websites can reinforce those messages or help parents be up to date
- National Online Safety also has detailed information on games and social media, e.g Snapchat, TikTok, FIFA, YouTube, Instagram, Grand Theft Auto and many more.
- Safer Internet advice for children of all ages, safety tools, parent guides to technology and lots more
- Better together run low-cost online workshops for families on online safety
Keep up to date on gaming and social media
- National Online Safety has detailed information on games and social media e.g Snapchat, TikTok, FIFA, youtube, Instagram, grand theft auto and many more. The downloadable posters make it particularly good for use in schools. There are also tips on starting up a conversation with your child.
- Talking to your child about social media and gaming
- Gaming addiction: Worried your child is addicted to gaming?
- Advice on gaming addiction
- NSPCC Information on parental controls, online pornography and what risks may be associated with games like Minecraft or streaming. You can even book an appointment with someone in an O2 store to help you set up parental controls for free
For children and young people: staying safe online, gaming and what to do if things go wrong
- Be social media savvy- how to work out what’s real and what isn’t
- ThinkUKnow– find the right information for your age, and what to do if you run into trouble.
- How to stay sane on social media
- Feeling good and staying in control of social media and what to do if things go wrong
- Sexting and sending nudes
- What do I need to know about online grooming?
- How can I tell if I’m addicted to gaming? (Hampshire CAMHS)
- How gaming helped my mental health (Blog on YoungMinds)
Building confidence after online bullying
Things to consider about getting your child a mobile phone
- The pros and cons of mobile phones. Some ideas on what you might like to consider and discuss
- Papaya Parents Parents Against Phone Addiction in Young Adolescents
- Five things to consider when getting your child a mobile phone